Earthly happiness or heavenly joy?
This morning as I was praying, God started speaking to me about the differences between earthly happiness and heavenly joy. We often think they are the same thing, but they are not. We seem to have this expectation that God wants us to be happy . But earthly happiness is our human response to our circumstances. If our circumstances please us, then we're happy. If our circumstances are uncomfortable or displease us, then we're not happy. This is not heavenly joy. Heavenly joy is experiencing the peace and joy of the Lord regardless of our circumstances. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. JEREMIAH 29:11 NIV When we read Jer. 29:11, we often interpret it as meaning that God is going to give us earthly happiness. But this is not the promise He makes in this passage. This passage is about our eternal life... the life that we have in the kingdom of Heaven. When God speak...